It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals. In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.
This week’s musical:
Sweater Girl (1942) – Musical #684
Studio:
Paramount Pictures
Director:
William Clemens
Starring:
Eddie Bracken, Betty Jane Rhodes, June Pressier, Phillip Terry, Nils Asther, Frieda Inescort, Kenneth Howell, Johnny Johnston (as Johnnie Johnston), William Henry, Ella Neal, Minerva Urecal, Robert Cherry, Charles D. Brown
Plot:
Right before graduation, a group of college students are putting on a school musical starring Louise Menard (Rhodes) and Jack Mitchell (Bracken), who believes he has better ideas than Happy (Henry), the play’s director. During rehearsals, two of their classmates are murdered, and the students try to get to the bottom of it.
It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals. In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 500. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.
Director:
George Marshall, A. Edward Sutherland (uncredited)
Starring:
Betty Hutton, Eddie Bracken, Victor Moore, Walter Abel, Anne Revere (uncredited)
Themselves: Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Fred MacMurray, Franchot Tone, Ray Milland, Dorothy Lamour, Paulette Goddard, Vera Zorina, Mary Martin, Dick Powell, Veronica Lake, Alan Ladd, Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson, William Bendix, Jerry Colonna, Macdonald Carey, Susan Hayward, Marjorie Reynolds, Betty Jane Rhodes, Dona Drake, Lynne Overman, Gary Crosby, Johnny Johnston, Arthur Treacher, Walter Catlett, Sterling Holloway, Cecil B. DeMille, Preston Sturges, Ellen Drew, Eva Gabor, Frances Gifford, Susanna Foster, Diana Lynn, Jimmy Lydon, Robert Preston, Irving Bacon (uncredited), Karin Booth (uncredited), Woody Strode (uncredited)
Plot:
Sailor Johnny Webster (Bracken) is home on leave and believes his father William Webster (Moore), a former silent film star, is the head of Paramount Studios. In reality, his father is just a security guard at the studio. His father made a promise to put on a star-studded performance for the Naval base. The last 40 minutes of the film is the Naval skit.
It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals. In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 500. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.
This week’s musical:
“The Fleet’s In” –Musical #488
Studio:
Paramount Pictures
Director:
Victor Schertzinger
Starring:
Dorothy Lamour, William Holden, Eddie Bracken, Betty Hutton, Leif Erickson, Betty Jane Rhodes, Jimmy Dorsey (as himself)
Plot:
Sailor Casey Kirby (Holden) is dubbed a playboy when there is a picture of him in the newspaper kissing movie star Diana Golden (Rhodes). As his buddies build him up as a “sea wolf,” they bet Casey can’t woo ice queen nightclub performer “The Countess” (Lamour), who is well-known for turning down sailors. However, Casey isn’t aware that sailors are betting money him kissing the Countess in public. During all of this, the Countess’s roommate Bessie Dale (Hutton) is after Casey’s friend Barney (Bracken).
Trivia:
–Betty Hutton‘s first feature film. Hutton came straight from Broadway, where she was in the play “Panama Hattie” with Ethel Merman.
-Music written by Johnny Mercer.
-Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra perform in the film. Dorsey is the brother of other big band leader, Tommy Dorsey. Jimmy played the saxophone and Tommy played the trombone.
-Hutton and Lamour became long time friends while making this movie, Hutton wrote in her autobiography, “Backstage, You Can Have.” ”
“I will always love her for the friendship she immediately showed to me in those early days,” she wrote.
Bessie (Hutton) holds back the Countess (Lamour) when she finds out there is a bet if Casey (Holden) kisses her. Barney (Bracken) hides.
Notable Songs:
-“Tangerine” performed by Jimmy Dorsey’s band and sung by Bob Eblery and Helen O’Connell
-“When You Hear the Time Signal” sung by Dorothy Lamour
-“If You Build a Better Mousetrap” sung by Betty Hutton, performed by Jimmy Dorsey’s band
-“Not Mine” sung by Betty Hutton and Dorothy Lamour
-“I Remember You” sung by Dorothy Lamour
-“Arthur Murray Taught Me To Dancing a Hurry” sung by Betty Grable
Highlights:
-Jimmy Dorsey’s band using telephones as part of their song for “When You Hear the Time Signal”
-Betty Hutton singing and quickly dancing several dances during the song “Arthur Murray Taught Me To Dancing in a Hurray.” Lyrics are as follow with video below:
“Turkey trot
Or gavotte?
Don’t know which,
Don’t know what.
Jitterbug?
Bunny hug?
Long as you
Cut a rug!
Walk the dog,
Do the frog,
Lindy hop
Till you drop!
Ball the jack
Back to back,
Cheek to cheek
Till you’re weak.”
My Review:
This is an enormously enjoyable and funny movie.
The plot is very thin and is mainly padded with excellent music by Johnny Mercer, but it’s a wonderful piece of World War II-era escapism.
Dorothy Lamour is gorgeous and funny in her role as “The Countess.”
William Holden is still early in his career. He does well in the comedy, but you can tell he has more potential- which he proved later in his career.
For me, the real treat is Betty Hutton. I know I may be a minority in this. I have found several folks in the film community who find her exasperating or irritating. But I LOVE her energy- displayed perfectly in the “Arthur Murray” number.
There is also another funny lady in this film, who I wasn’t familiar with until I saw this film, named Cass Daley. Her singing has a similar sound to Hutton’s and she mainly makes jokes off her physical appearance. What I found interesting is that Cass Elliot of the Mama’s and the Papa’s apparently named herself for Daley.
With an entertaining cast and catchy 1940s tunes, this is a must see.
This week’s musical:
This week’s musical:
Comet Over Hollywood 